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I just wanna get clarity on this because ive been getting that everything the ph the hardness and temperature have to be so perfect to keep them?? help me Im getting a 44 gallon pentagon tank and i was wanting two baby discus

Keep the discus well fed and the water clean and you will have no problems keeping them happy. Generally the best way to grow out young discus is to keep a bare bottom (no gravel) tank. This helps the discus to find the food and makes keeping the tank clean much easier.

Also, discus are much more comfortable in groups of five or more. Any less and I find that they are shy and timid. The problem you are going to have is keeping more than four fully grown discus in a tank that size. Maybe look to a bigger tank in 6 months time or so.

Good luck

44 gallon pentagon

Is this a tall tank if so this will also reduce how many Discus you can have.

Keith

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I hate to sound condescending, but you could have just made this one post rather than 3 different ones. (A) Discus are sensitive and i recommend you get them smaller so they have better chances of adapting to your water but I have tried and failed with discus so be warned it is an expensive mistake to miss cleanings feedings or etc. (B) if you are a beginner i suggest you start off with something else. Should you have a good easy time with those fish in due time you rehome those fish and get discus, once again discus are not cheap and are not fish that are hardy by ANY means.
(C) you need to do research on local discus or fish clubs, breeders, and etc to see how they care for their tanks and how you can keep these fish as well as they do... take your time you dont want to dive in too deep and then loose your passion or interest in the wet hobby.

Take it easy and do lots of research... dont rush it!!!

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Hi Chopper

Dave is right - 2 is not a good number. Discus are schooling fish. Ideally 5 or more, however, your tank is only big enough for 4 adults - so buy 4 of the baby discus (not 2). Adult discus require 10G each.

Babydiscus do require a lot more work than adults do. Keep the babies in a bare bottom tank, 4-5 feeds a day. You need to vac up the waste after around 30 mins & best to do a 50% water change daily. If you can't manage 50%, do at least 20% daily. Sounds a lot of work, but this is the way to prevent them from growing into stunted adults. A stunted discus has eyes that continue to grow normally, but the discus itself doesn't grow to it's proper size. You end up with odd looking discus, with eyes too large for it's body.

All the growing of a discus is in it's 1st year. After that, you can't correct a stunt. They can still be great pets and they can get thicker, but the eye to body ratio can't be corrected after 12 months of age.

Adults can get away with 1 feed a day, although I do give my adults extra.

My adult discus tanks all get 1 x 50% wc a week - but a lot of discus keepers will say it's better to do 2 or 3 times wc a week, each around 20-30%. I find the 50% is fine for my tanks - but you really do need to keep it at least at that level.

Don't mess with the ph or the hardness. Stability is more important than reaching specific targets. This may only become important if you attempt to breed them - even then I've read of success in higher pH and hardness levels.

If you are a beginner at fish keeping, it might be better to start with another fish ... but if you have some fish keeping experience and you're prepared for the work, they will bring you a lot of joy.

HTH

Cheers
TW

I agree with the previous posters. A 44-gallon pentagonal tank is not an ideal setup for Discus, or for Angels for that matter. A long, low tank is much better, and by that, I mean at least a four-foot long tank.

My recommendation to new fishkeepers is to learn about the conditions of their local water supply, and to base what species of fish they choose to keep on those parameters. Hard alkaline water is ideal for many African cichlids, such as Malawi cichlids, while soft, acidic water is great for Discus, Angels, Neon Tetras, etc.

If your water quality and fish are a good match, it will save you a lot of time, money, energy and frustration in the future, as your fish won't be under a lot of stress, and will be a lot healthier and happier.